Facebook: The Online Resume

I remember when Facebook was in its infancy.  I was a consultant for my sorority and traveling all over the country.  Staying on touch with people back home was becoming a bit time consuming.  All of my friends were telling me I NEED to get on Facebook, even my mother was a strong proponet for the thing.  I eventually gave in to the hype and joined the popular world of social media.

Soon enough, I was receiving friend requests from those chapter women I was working with at the time.  And, soon enough, I realized the extremely negative impact Facebook was having on my initial impressions of them.  Pictures and quotations I wouldn't have the nerve to secretly send to my close personal friends were being found in my newsfeed daily.  I was absolutely horrified at some of the things these people were saying back and forth to each other. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the occassional "naughty word" for some extra punch and I have been "tagged" in my share of photos that include items such as (gasp!) an alcoholic beverage or two.  But there is a line that we all must dance when it comes to what others will see and how that may affect our own life.

As I explained to women around the country through my travels, "you need to think of Facebook as your own personal online resume."  Yes, there are those professional platforms, such as LinkedIn, but the popularity of Facebook and it's wide use will make is susceptible to background checks by potential employers.  The last thing you want an employer to see is you tagged in an Facebook album titled, "Too Drunk to Remember..." with a wide array of pictures of you in compromising situations.  

Or think of it this way...You will eventually become "friends" with someone who may be able to get a job for you down the road.  But if you solicit their assistance after you have dropped the f-bomb 50 times in your status updates over the last month, good luck.  Some people may not mind that sort of crudeness, but others will be completely turned off or will not want to be associated with you and risk putting their own reputation on the line.

I understand Facebook and other social media sites were created for that very purpose; to be SOCIAL.  So many people who read this message will argue that it's not meant to be a professional site, and, therefore, they should not have to customize their social profile to be professionally appropriate.  That's fine if that's what you think, but I can guarantee you potential employers are looking, and they won't hire you if they don't like what they see posted. 

Hanging a Shingle

This is a great article/podcast from the ABA Journal on how to start your own law practice.  I hope you find it as informative as I did!

http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/podcast_monthly_episode_22/?utm_source=maestro&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly_email

Why Are You Here? The Importance of Self Assessment

Now that I have taken on the role of a career services specialist, it astounds me that so many of our students reach law school and have not, once, stepped into their undergraduate or high school career services office.  Nor have students discussed future employment plans with an academic advisor.  I say "now that I'm a career services specialist" due to the fact that I was among that overwhelming amount of students. 

I can't recall a single conversation taking place during my undergraduate years with a career coach or advisor that reached below an "on the surface" conversation of, "So what do you want to be when you graduate?"  I would give them an answer like, "I plan to go to law school and be an attorney."  They would hear my answer, say something along the lines of, "that's great," or "good luck with that," and our conversation would be over.  The question I yearn people to start asking as a follow up to the standard, "what do you plan to do when you graduate" is, "Why do you want to do that?" 

I think so many people heard the law school/attorney answer and automatically assumed I had it all figured out.  On the contrary.  I knew I wanted to be in a profession that helped people.  Well....that narrows it down.  Please don't take this post as me wishing I would not have gone to law school.  I am very grateful for my education, the people I met, and the connections I still have from law school.  I just wish someone would have sat down with me at some point in time and asked the question, Why?

So...here I am, wanting to ask you the question.  Why are you where you are?  But beyond the why, I want you to think of those things that make you truly happy.  Think about the kind of person you are.  Does your chosen profession allow you to do those things?  Will your degree assist you in eventually reaching your "dream job?"  I also want you to take some time for yourself and complete some self assessments.  Find out exactly what drives you, what causes you pause, what you absolutely detest doing, and what inspires you every day.  Until you sit down with yourself (or a career counselor/advisor) and ask those questions of yourself you may stroll through life never knowing exactly what you were placed on this earth to do. 

I found a few self-assessments online and find this one to be thorough and helpful.  I think if we all took the time to complete more assessments like this, fewer students would be coming out of school and saying, "Now what?" 

http://www.bgsu.edu/downloads/enrollment/file74450.pdf

Style Isn't Everything, But It's Something...

There are some fantastic resources on the web detailing how to write a cover letter; so many experts and non-experts explaining to students, potential employees and employers just what it takes to make it impressive.  I tried to compile some of my favorite pieces of advice regarding the overall template of your letter into today's entry, some of it came from others and some of it is my own, but I have a feeling there will be plenty more cover letter advice to come...

First of all, look at the style of your cover letter.  It should always follow a simple and "easy to read" format.  No one having to read these letters wants to feel overwhelmed just at the look of it.  You want your cover letter to portray a few things at first glance:

1.     You are professional.

2.     You pay attention to detail.

3.     You are someone worth interviewing.  

Choose a professional font, one that is, once again, easy to read.  There are a few staple fonts that are typically used for resumes and cover letters.  Times New Roman, Arial and Georgia are always safe choices.  Personality should shine through in your writing, not in your selection of font.

Next, 12-point font size is ideal.  I would suggest not deviating from this size font.  First of all, attempting to jam more information into your cover letter and bringing the font size below 12 is just a bad idea.  When an employer or recruiter has to strain their eyes to read it, I can guarantee you they will put it down.  You have to remember, employers don’t have to force themselves to read every single line you write, so the harder you make it for them the less likely they will be to read it.  As far as making the font larger to take up space...If you have written what you feel is the best cover letter you can and it only takes up three-fourths of a page, good for you.  If you are happy with the content, most employers will be too, regardless of whether it takes up a full page or not.  In fact, they may be grateful that it doesn't.

Another detail is to please select margins that aren't too close to the edge of the page (1 inch is always a good option). 

Before you begin writing "the bulk" of the letter, make it a point to try to keep your cover letter to ONE PAGE.  An employer doesn’t need your whole life story, nor does he or she want it.  And besides, this letter should be able to convey your personality in about ten seconds, and it is within those ten seconds that your employer may decide to interview you...or not.

Since you only have one page, try to think of ways you can conserve some space to really get your message across.  I have created my own letterhead, with my personal address, email, and phone number, and placed it in the header of my cover letter.  This saves room for the rest of the letter so that I don't have to take up space either at the beginning of the letter or under the signature line to include my contact information.  I have also seen people use the footer to include their contact information; either work.  

Make sure you place the date you plan to send the cover letter on the first line.  Sometimes it takes a few days to complete a well written and thoroughly thought out letter.  Your potential employer doesn’t need to know it took you eight days from beginning to completion to get that letter and resume to his/her desk.  Also, I suggest you write out the entire date (i.e., July 12, 2011), instead of using only the numeric form (i.e., 7/12/2011).  I think there is a professional touch to writing it out.

The person you are sending it to and their address should follow the date on your letter.  Some people elect to use a "regarding" line.  In our profession (legal) I think this is helpful.  

Do your best to find someone to address the letter to.  If you have to write "To whom it may concern" because the firm/office didn't include an individual to send it to it won't be the end of the world.  I have used "Dear (insert law firm) Hiring Committee as I think it had more of a personal effect and was actually addressing someone, or should I say something.  And I’m not going to lie, “To whom it may concern” sounds a little stuffy to me.  My advice, use it only as a last resort.

Next, make sure you have a great opening line; something that shows your personality.  Whether you begin your cover letter with a famous quotation you've always enjoyed, a story you can relate to the specific job you are applying for, or a personal connection you have with the company, make it unique and clever.  But as the video by Brad Karsh indicated in my last post, there is a fine line between clever and stupid, try not to dance on it.

Prior to sending my cover letter and resume out I always ask someone to just look at it.  Is it a comfortable length?  Is the font legible and big enough?  Most importantly, does the first line intrigue you to read further?  If the answer to any of these “first impression” questions is no, it’s back to the drawing board.

Here are a couple of links with more advice on cover letters.  I also suggest the templates available to you on Microsoft Word to get you started.  As you can see, there is a lot of thought that should go into the overall presentation of your cover letter.  It's always important to keep this in mind; style isn't everything, but it is something.

Templates to Follow – http://www.career.vt.edu/JobSearchGuide/CoverLetterSamples.html

A Paragraph Dissection – http://www.careerealism.com/cover-letter-mechanics-how-to-write-a-good-one/

Great Do’s & Don’ts - http://milton.patch.com/articles/cover-letter-do-s-and-don-ts

Happy writing!

Seminar at USD: So you want to be a professor?

The Graduate and Professional Student Association is sponsoring the following event for individuals interested in becoming a university professor.  Please register by following the instructions below if this is something you would like to know more about!

Do you want to be a university professor?

Curious about the worst mistakes you can make on an academic job interview?

Do you love Aramark pizza?

The Center for Teaching and Learning and the Graduate and Professional Student Association are collaborating to present a workshop on strategies for a successful academic job search. Come and enjoy food and fellowship as we develop a plan to help you rise to the top!

The workshop will be held on Thursday, March 22, from 5:30-7:00pm, in MUC 211. Pizza will be provided.

To register, please contact the CTL at <maito:CTL@usd.edu> or by calling x5411. Walk ins are welcome to attend!
GPSA Executive BoardE-mail: gpsa@usd.edu
Website: orgs.usd.edu/gpsa
Twitter: @usdgpsa
Join our group on facebook!

Basic Design Tips for your Resume

It has been estimated that employers will usually take only thirty-five seconds to look at your resume before deciding whether to keep or discard it. To ensure that you will make it past that initial screening, you should design your resume in such a way that employers can read the document easily and process information quickly.

 

Remember the Quadrant Test

One piece of information I think is extremely helpful in preparing your resume is to remember that readers typically read from left to right and from top to bottom when information is "balanced" (about an equal amount of text and white space) on the page.  Make sure your resume has this "balance."

First, divide your resume into four quadrants, as seen in the example below.

Each one of the quadrants should have approximately an equal amount of text. This "look" is very appealing to any reader so keep it in mind while drafting your resume.

 

Use Easy to Read Fonts

Make sure you choose a font that will be both appealing to the eye and legible.  Some of the more popular fonts include: TImes New Roman, Garamond, and Arial.  Some students elect to choose a different font for their name and titles (such as EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, and ACTIVITIES & INTERESTS).

The key to using fonts in your resume is to be consistent. For example, if you decide to use a particular font for a main heading, do so for all your headings, and use the same font each time. Generally, you should use no more than two fonts in your resume. Remember that you want to keep the reader so don't get "overly creative" in selecting fonts for your resume.

The 20-second Test

I love this trick.  When you feel you have created your best resume, have someone perform the 20-second test on it. Simply time your reader for twenty seconds as he or she reads your resume. What all did he or she learn about you? If your reader noticed within twenty seconds what you want employers to learn about you, then most likely you have created an effective resume. If not, try moving important information to the first quadrant, checking that you have used sans serif and serif fonts consistently, and limiting the tools for emphasis you use in your document.

Non-Legal Summer Experience

Some of you will just want a summer job that has absolutely nothing to do with the law.  Good for you!  Here is a website dedicated to "cool summer jobs."  They have everything from camp counselors and park and recreational workers to positions with non-profits and study abroad opportunities. I think this is a great resource for all students to check out.  I would suggest to look over the opportunities on this site as soon as possible.  Many of the closing dates for applying are in January and February.

www.coolworks.com

Enjoy!